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BEIRUT: How can you sell the American public on the idea that Israel has the right to expand Jewish settlements in the Occupied West Bank? Use positive language, steer away from talk of settlements and toward discussion of peace, and draw parallels between the threat of terrorist invasion from 9/11 and that of mass Palestinian immigration.
These are just three of the recommendations from a leaked hasbara handbook written by Republican political consultant Dr. Frank Luntz for the Washington-based The Israel Project (TIP), distributed to US activists, journalists and policymakers on how to present a pro-Israel message to the public.
The 116-page manual, entitled “2009 Global Language Dictionary,” was commissioned by non-profit TIP to shape the public debate on settlement activity in their favor, with chapters such as “The Language of Tackling a Nuclear Iran,” “Gaza: Israel’s right to self-defense” and “Talking to the American Left.”
The handbook, leaked to Newsweek earlier this week, is based on an internal study for TIP conducted by pollster Luntz and data drawn from focus groups. Luntz outlines the need for their manual in the foreword: “Since [our] first dictionary in 2003, Israel found itself the victim of attack from its northern and southern borders, and has suffered greatly in the court of public opinion.
“On the other hand, the daily suicide bombings have stopped and Hamas and Hizbullah have shown themselves to be the brutal terrorist organizations that Israel has warned about.”
The manual is strewn with bolded examples of “Words that work,” and ones that don’t in the settlement debate and are taken from speeches made by Israeli representatives in the last decade.
It is best not to use words such as “allow,” “permit” and “instruct” when referring to Palestinian settlement growth in the Occupied West Bank. Instead, talk of Palestine as an equal, trusted partner on the path to peace; use words that do not imply subordination and never speak in declarative statements. Remind people again and again that Israel wants peace and remember to concede at least one point to the other side in an interview to seem sympathetic. These are just a few suggestions the manual gives.
If in doubt, TIP offers the mantra: “it is not what you say that counts, it’s what people hear.”
The pro-Israel lobby claim Americans want a team to cheer for and it is their job to let the public know the good things about Israel, such as their “remarkable advances in alternative energy” and the work Israel has done in Arab neighborhoods to raise health care standards. When conducting interviews, the manual says activists should always be answering the silent question in Americans’ minds – “What’s in it for my country and for me to support Israel?”
It emphasizes the need to draw parallels between America and Israel if they are to win the support of those who are neutral. “Israel is an important US ally in the war against terrorism and the ongoing fight against this terror that came from the attack on 9/11 can be likened to the Palestinian threat – What would America do if their neighbors in Canada and Mexico were firing rockets into America?” it asks.
This idea of invasion should be labored to appeal to Americans’ fears: “Thanks to 9/11 and the continuing threat of terrorism, Americans are particularly afraid of the mass migration of anyone,” reads the report. “Comparing the challenges facing Americans in dealing with unrestricted immigration and Israel’s situation will be well received.”
Israel should be presented as an ally among “terrorists” and its “good record for human rights” stressed, “in contrast to those in the Middle East who indoctrinate their children to become hate-mongers and suicide bombers,” the manual proffers. “Israel is the one place in the Middle East where a young girl can grow up to be anything she wants – from a doctor to a mommy, to a businessperson and even a prime minister!”
According to a national survey conducted by Luntz for the manual, almost 40 percent of those asked who their most important ally was in the Middle East gave the answer “Israel,” with 29 percent saying the best reason for the US to stand with Israel was because “Israel is a partner with the US in our fight against terrorism.” And 16 percent answered that they should stand with them because “God gave the land to the Jews who have lived there for thousands of years.”
In response to the question of whether the US should support Israel, 48 percent answered “yes” in the months before the 2006 war on Lebanon, but this figure rose by 23 percent in the weeks after. The rate decreased slightly to 58 percent earlier this year in the wake of the war on Gaza.
Perhaps the most difficult audience to win over, a different linguistic strategy proposed by TIP must be used for liberals: the American left. “Israel may represent the only democratic country in a region dominated by brutal, extremist nations that are entrenched in non-Western doctrine, but the elites on the American Left see Israeli militarism as extreme and unjustified,” the manual reads. A different tack must be taken to get them on side.
In the chapter ‘Talking to the American Left,” TIP explain how many on the left see an Israel v. Palestinian crisis where Israel is Goliath and Palestine David, and in order to win them over they must understand that this is an Arab-Israeli crisis and the force undermining the peace is Iran and their proxies Hizbullah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Their advice is not to call Hamas just Hamas, but call them what they are: Iran-backed Hamas. “Indeed, if they know that Iran is behind Hamas and Hizbullah, they are much more supportive of Israel.” The manual suggests that it is critical to make sure liberals understand it is a fight between Israel and Iran and its proxies, not just a territorial dispute between Israelis and Palestinians.
The left, the organization says, are also not interested in hearing the “melting-pot argument”– that is making the case that Israel takes in the distressed people of the world. “Today, immigration is a dirty word. This is simply not a strong argument with most Americans right now.”
In a chapter most relevant today with the US in talks with Israel over West Bank expansion, “Lessons to Learn from President Obama’s language,” President Barack Obama’s speeches on settlement activity are described by TIP as templates for how to effectively present a pro-Israel argument. They say Obama’s complete reshaping of American public discussions on the Middle East is based on the same language they have been recommending for use for years.
The administration’s language marks a sharp departure from the previous administration, TIP says, in particular Obama’s words bear close inspection on the issue of the peace process between Israel and Palestinians.
The lessons to be learned from the president’s language are to humanize the issue of settlement activity; stress the conflict is over ideology rather than territory, acknowledge past errors but focus on the future and lastly to make a call for progress.